A Look at the Past: Konoha before Team 7
by Peace at Westphalia
Summary: Story takes place thirteen years before the first Naruto arc. Features familiar characters like Team Yondaime as well as OCs, R&R is much appreciated! Will include Third Great Ninja War, Kyuubi, and more!
1. Just another day

This is my first attempt at fan fiction, so I hope you guys don't consider me too much of a noob lol. I'm also not 100 versed on the Japanese language, so any mistakes I make I will be more than happy to correct if someone let's me know what I'm doing wrong. Critique is of course welcome, both positive and negative, although I would appreciate constructive criticism rather than outright flaming. Just a heads up, my story does feature OCs but I hope that doesn't turn off readers.

And, needless to say, I do not own Naruto. All characters, besides my own, are the products of Masashi Kishimoto's genius. I'm just a fan :P

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It was just past noon in Konoha. The sun was in a position directly over the village and shone brightly in a clear blue sky. Shade was scarce on the ground, save for the rare moments when a puff of cumulous wandered lazily in front of the glowing orb. Several people lazed about their homes drowsily, having completed their midday meals and anxious to rest and leave their bodies to digest in peace. Children, on the other hand, never satisfied in doing nothing, began to reemerge in the streets, carrying with them assortments of balls, sticks, dolls…anything to assist them in their play. A few mothers of the younger children peered uneasily between curtains, their eyes hawkishly glued on their precious offspring as though afraid a wolf might at any given moment lope by and snatch up a toddler or two. Their faces soon disappeared from view, however, for their logic regained control of their imaginations and their protective fears had subsided. The children for their part felt perfectly safe running around Konoha, and their parents, even the most watchful of the lot, ultimately shared the same mindset. For those familiar with the Hidden Leaf Village there was no safer spot in the world.

Although doused in sunlight the village was not unpleasantly hot. In the temperate weather famous to Konoha and beneath the village's four revered stone faces carved into the mountainside, a group of five young boys was organizing a game of Onigokko. After much dispute the _oni_ was chosen—a small brown-haired boy in patchy overalls—and the other four began running away from him. He easily tagged one of the other boys from behind, shoving him forcefully when his hand made contact between the shoulder blades of his prey. The new _oni _fell flat on his face, clouds of dust rising into the air as his body pancaked on the ground; the boy in overalls grinned broadly as he jumped triumphantly into the air. Golden rays from the sun danced upon his upturned face, mimicking the glow exuding from his amplified ego. Above and unseen by the boys, in a building bearing the word "fire", an old man in his mid-fifties chuckled.

The Third Hokage stood tranquilly behind one of the many wide windows in his office. A rough and wrinkled hand, the combatant of so many battles, held a pipe to his mouth, where it rested gently between a pair of weathered lips. The corners of these lips had just inched slightly upward on his face, creating copious amounts of new wrinkles and giving way to a smile. Seeing children at play always reminded him of the deep love he felt for the village and all of its inhabitants. Stacks of mundane paperwork and a large brimmed hat—which was, like the building, a bearer of the "fire" kanji—sat silently behind him, untouched and abandoned on his desk. He would return to them of course—eventually; nonetheless, for the time being he was content to gaze over Konoha and reminisce about his own days of playing Onigokko.

Too soon a firm knock came from the other side of his office door. Returning to his work table with a casual sigh, Sondaime gracefully lowered himself into his chair, setting down his pipe and placing his hat on his head. He propped both elbows on the desk. With fingers intertwined at the level of his chin, he answered the knock.

"Come in."

"Lord Hokage," said the appearing Jounin, "I have brought Kazokugisou Ume, as requested."

Sondaime nodded in gratitude and signaled that the Jounin was dismissed. The Jounin bowed and disappeared. A head poked meekly into the doorway in his place.

"You wanted to speak with me, Hokage-sama?" A young girl spoke softly, breathily, her amber eyes cast at the floor. Both signs betrayed the frailty of her nerves; she had never been summoned by the Hokage before. She was one the village ninja, as indicated by the forehead protector tied loosely around her neck, a Genin kunoichi at the beginning of her adolescence.

"Yes, I did, Ume," he said with a chuckle. "Come in, come in," he urged when she didn't move. She seemed as though she were paralyzed. "There's no need to be nervous. And don't worry about closing the door; the news I have for you is nothing short of good, so it does not matter if anyone should hear." These words passed through the girl's ears in a sweep of relief; she exhaled a deep breath, tucked two long strands of white hair behind her ears, and stepped into the office. She stopped in front of his desk and clasped her hands behind her back, looking more confidently into his face although still not perfectly composed. The Hokage's kind eyes looked back at her from over his own threaded fingers; yet even their warmth and reassurance could not quell her still slightly shaking body.

"I'm sure it's no surprise to you how well you did in last week's exam," he began, hoping to relieve more of the tension. She perked slightly and her eyes met his. "Indeed, you handled yourself remarkably well in that battle," he mused. If Ume had been seated then in this moment she would be on the edge of her chair, leaning forward sharply towards her addresser. Instead, her eyes grew wide and round as dinner plates. Could he be saying…?

Although she stared at him intently, her thoughts inadvertently wandered back to that day, to the final stage of the Chuunin exams, to the moment she saw her opponent lying unconscious beneath her, to the sounds of a crowd roaring with cheers. She had exhausted every fiber of her being on that fight, and, if the pronouncement she longed to hear actually came from the Hokage as she stood before him in his office, then all of her efforts will have paid off. Her heart pounded frantically within her chest. Every pump of the ventricles sounded loudly in her ears; if he did speak she wasn't so sure she would be able to hear. Her palms, still connected behind her back, began to sweat. Sondaime noticed that she was plagued by anxiety, and though it somewhat amused him he finally made his point.

"It's my deepest pleasure to inform you that from this day forward you are an official Chuunin of Konoha."

Her heart skipped a beat. Had she heard correctly? Of course, there was no mistaking his words, no matter how many times her mind rapidly reworked them. She had passed the exam!

Trying to remain professional, she was nevertheless unable to prevent a huge grin from spreading between her cheeks. Sondaime smiled back at her. "Congratulations," he said sincerely, replacing the pipe to his lips. "Orientation will be held within the upcoming week for you and the other new Chuunin. Rest assured that you will be informed when an exact date is chosen."

"Ho—Hokage-sama…" Ume stammered.

"Hmm?" He raised his eyebrows curiously.

"Th—thank you, you have no idea how much this means—"

Sondaime held up a hand and Ume immediately shut her mouth.

"There's no need to thank me, my dear," he said kindly. "You are more than deserving of this honor, thank only yourself. The road to becoming a Chuunin is difficult," he continued, "and your steps have been muddled with many trials and tests of will. Not only have you endured, you have proven yourself capable of achieving success in higher ranking missions. But remember, now that you are a Chuunin, even though you will continue to train under your Jounin-sensei, you will be responsible not only for your own life but those of the ninja you will lead on missions. Do you understand?" Ume's expression had altered with the tone of the conversation. She had been so excited that she had for a moment forgotten the responsibilities that she inherited along with her new rank. Determined eyes stared into those of her superior and her body stood firmly at attention; a serious yet respectful expression had replaced the ecstatic grin.

"_Hai_!" she replied.

Sondaime hated the solemn mood that had fallen over the room, but it was necessary for him to inform each rising Chuunin of the realities that came packaged with their position. He deeply inhaled the smoke from the burning contents of his pipe. Ume stood rigidly, attentively; she had not yet been dismissed and she dared not leave. Out of her peripherals she watched the smoke curl gently from the Hokage's lips and disappear into the surrounding air. The ethereal qualities of the smoke seemed to relax her for her shoulders slouched slightly and she calmly released a deep breath through her nose. _Good_, Sondaime said to himself with a smile when he viewed her tension ebb. He leaned backward into his chair until his shoulders made contact with the plush fabric.

"You may go," he said. Ume bowed low, her eyes closed. She pivoted on her heel as she rose and walked toward the doorway that had been left open. "Oh, and one more thing, Ume…" The newly appointed Chuunin looked back at him over her shoulder. "Please thank your sister for her wonderful shuriken demonstration at the Academy yesterday."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," she replied and with that took her leave, closing the door behind her.

When she had gone Sondaime looked with a groan at the large stack of documents beside him. Unwillingly he slid the top-most piece of paper from the pile onto his desk, dreading the busy work that lay before him. The tobacco in his pipe had exhausted itself; nothing but charred ash remained in the wooden bowl. The Hokage placed the pipe gently on his desk and as its replacement in his hand he chose a freshly inked brush. Slowly, the brush was lowered to the paper and Sondaime printed his signature, authorizing the document. As he worked, only one thought was in his mind: he was so proud of his shinobi.

After a few quick brush strokes he set the paper aside and began to scan another one from the stack. In doing so his eyes stole a glimpse of the neglected pipe. It looked to him as though the pipe would never forgive him if he just let it sit there, unlit and alone…

He was procrastinating of course, he fully acknowledged that. Nevertheless took advantage of the situation to fumble with the folds of his robe until he felt his fingers brush against silk. He smiled as he closed his hand around a small pouch in which he kept his precious tobacco and set it on the desk's surface. Eyes still on the pipe, he reached inside the pouch, just as gleeful as the first _oni_ in overalls. When he felt nothing his eyes widened in disbelief and with a renewed effort his fingers searched every inch of the bag's inside. He panicked; the pipe seemed to be glaring at him in shame. In a last desperate attempt he turned the pouch inside-out but it was still to no avail; the pouch was empty, save for a few useless flakes.

"Well, this won't do," he said with a frown. "This won't do at all…"

Ume could barely contain her excitement as she emerged back into the sunlight. Spirits high, she raced down the stone steps leading from the Hokage's mansion to the base of the village two at a time.

_I finally did it!_ she repeated to herself over and over. It wasn't a dream; she didn't have to pinch herself to know for sure that she was awake. Bounding down the stairs she felt as light as the clouds floating lazily overhead. Her feet finally set upon the hard earthen floor that the village was built upon and she began sprinting in the direction of her home to tell the news to her parents.

"Wait a minute…" She slowed to jog as she remembered what the Hokage had said to her.

_Thank your sister for me…_

The words resonated in her ears with a certain authoritative tone. To young, thirteen-year-old Ume this was, in her mind, her first order of business as a Chuunin. She must deliver a message from the Sondaime himself. And of course, on a perfect afternoon her sister, who a shinobi herself, would not be cooped up at home. Quite the contrary…

Ume rounded a corner, nearly sending an old woman sprawling across the street.

"Sorry!"

She apologized but kept running, her white braided hair extended behind her from the speed, parallel to her backwards-stretched arms. This time her goal was the forest.

Her heart-rate had increased significantly by the time trees had taken the place of buildings as her surroundings. The sky had long been lost above the dark foliage of the forest and the compact earth of the village had given way to softer soil. Leaves and twigs crunched under her dark-blue open-toed shoes, the likes of which were unique to shinobi. She was getting close; she could sense a presence ahead of her. Her pace eased up slightly as the sound of shuriken thudding into bark filled her ears. Finally slowing to walk, Ume made sure her forehead protector was perfectly in place around her neck and walked into the clearing where her sister was training. However, no one was to be seen.

"I was wondering where that Jounin had dragged you off to after lunch!"

Ume craned her neck upwards in the direction of the familiar voice.

"Onee-san!" Ume shouted. There, in the branches high above her stood her twin sister, shuriken clutched between her fingers. Unable to contain her excitement she said, "He took me to the Hokage's mansion, Tsurara! Sondaime wanted to speak with me!"

The figure perched high above leaped from her perch and in the process flung her shuriken away from her, each of which hit the bullseye of various targets scattered about the clearing. She landed gracefully in front of Ume.

"What did he say?" Her curiosity was sparked. What was her Ume so thrilled about?

Ume looked with satisfaction into her sister's face without saying anything, although the grin that stretched from ear to ear essentially gave away her secret.

It was like staring into a mirror; the two of them were identical down to the last eyelash. The long cowlick that protruded from their widow's peak, the small freckle in their right iris, every gap between their toes… Although impossible to discern simply by looking at the two, Tsurara was the elder twin by a matter of minutes.

"Tsurara," Ume said excitedly, "I've been promoted to a Chuu—" There was suddenly not enough air left in her lungs to finish the word. Tsurara had flung her arms around her and commenced squeezing tightly.

"FINALLY!" she exclaimed ecstatically. When she received a wheeze in place of a "thank you" she released her hold on her sister. As Ume gasped for breath, Tsurara, in a more gentle congratulatory gesture, placed one of her gloved hands on her twin's shoulder and grinned.

"Thank you, Nee-chan," Ume replied with an excited smile, as she caught her breath. Tsurara smiled brightly in return before replying.

"You know, I was wondering how long you were going to keep me waiting for you," Tsurara teased, polishing her fingernails on the fishnet mesh that covered her chest. "How long has it been? Three years since I became a Chuunin? It seems like so long ago, after all…"

Ume shoved her sister playfully. "Well, you can't brag anymore! From now on I'll get to lead _you_ on missions!"

"You bet! But don't get your hopes up too soon; it'll still be a while before you're in charge of _me_." The two laughed. Ume had long since grown accustomed to her sister's arrogance, even though it was guised by a playful ruse.

Having been caught up in the moment, Ume had forgotten the real purpose she had run to find her sister.

"Tsurara, Sondaime-sama also wanted me to give you his thanks for helping out at the Academy yesterday."

Tsurara flicked her wrist in an "it-was-no-big-deal" manner.

"Ah, it was nothing, how could anyone resist those kids? They're so small and inexperienced, it's adorable! Even though not one had any talent for shuriken throwing…Oh, that reminds me…" She reached into the round pouch attached to the back of her rather large belt and produced a handful of blades. "They must've gotten mixed up with my own when I was at the Academy." She handed them to Ume. "Here, you give them back for me, I keep forgetting."

"You just like weapons too much," Ume said semi-jokingly, semi-seriously, as she placed the blades into her own pouch. Tsurara shrugged.

"Better to have too many than too few, wouldn't you say? To better ensure the success of the mission and all that…"

"And to protect your teammates," Ume added for her.

"Yeah, that too," she replied somewhat indifferently as she stretched her arms above her head and yawned over-dramatically, a hint that she was getting tired of talking. "Looks like this is a sign for me to get back to target practice, isn't it? As glad as I am that you came and told me the news, and believe me when I say I'm proud of you, I wasn't expecting an interruption to my training, and now I'm a little out of whack to be honest."

"I suppose you're right, I've distracted you enough as it is," Ume said in her usual selfless way.

"I knew you'd understand, Imouto-chan" Tsurara said with a sweet yet slightly condescending smile. Yawning once again, she accompanied her stretch with a scratch to an itch underneath the forehead protector positioned just above her eyebrows. As opposed to her sister's tight, immaculate braid, Tsurara wore her hair loosely at the nape of her neck, tied with a ribbon the color of dark slate to match the fabric of her forehead protector and shinobi sandals. Against the dark colors her hair shone especially white, like snowflakes amidst charred ash.

When she had gotten rid of the itch Tsurara focused her bright eyes on the engraved metal plate around her sister's neck. With a frown she reached out her hands. In an instant Ume felt a chill on her neck and just as suddenly heard the sound of cloth being tightened. Tsurara had removed what Ume wore for a necklace and replaced it on her sister's forehead.

"There!" Tsurara said with satisfaction, as Ume turned to face her. "Now you look more official!"

Ume's fingers traced the outline of the metal plate bordering her hairline while her sister looked on with some amusement. Ume was finally the same rank as her twin, a Chuunin! Even though Ume acknowledged that her sister was more experienced (she had been a Chuunin for three years already, after all) the fact that the name of their rank was the same made Ume swell inwardly with pride. What's more, Tsurara, one of Konoha's prized young shinobi, had said she was proud of her! And not just Tsurara; others too would recognize Ume for her achievement. She restrained a blush as the image of a spiky-black-haired boy wearing goggles found its way into her mind. Tsurara noticed a slight pink tint rise in her sister's cheeks and knew exactly what she was thinking about. Nevertheless, she chose to keep silent on the issue.

With all the exhilaration that had happened that day, Ume knew she couldn't possibly just go home and sit idly waiting for her sister to return. Besides, there was something she wanted to find out. . .

"Nee-chan," she said anxiously.

"Hmm?"

"Can I train with you for a while?"

Tsurara considered it. Truth be told target practice was one exercise she preferred to do alone; however, she knew saying "no" was out of the question. Today was such an important day for Ume and Tsurara would never take that feeling of importance away from her sister. Standing face to face with Ume, Tsurara grinned.

"Only if you think you can keep up!"

Ume's face lit up as Tsurara sprang into the tree tops. Following her sister high into the forest canopy, Ume grasped a kunai tightly in her palm. A smile seemed permanently plastered on her face.

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So there's chapter 1! Please let me know what I can do to improve :) Sorry if it's not that interesting so far, I had to think of some way to introduce the twins lol. More familiar characters will appear in the next chapter...


	2. Tension between Teammates

Once again, Naruto and all it entails doesn't belong to me (except for Ume and Tsurara, as well as a certain shop owner you're about to meet)

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"What time did you say we were meeting, again?"

It was well after four o'clock in the afternoon. The streets and shops of Konoha were once again bustling with people, since the lunch hour had come and gone. Two young Chuunin sat idly on one the many stone benches that lined the streets throughout the village. Their particular bench was located next to a fairly popular restaurant. All of the people that passed in and out of the restaurant were like seconds ticking away on a clock. The girl, who was very pretty and had one thick red stripe on each cheek, buried her head in her hands with frustration.

"I told Obito to be here at a quarter to four!" she said exasperatedly.

"Did you really think that he would actually be here on time? You know he's always late." This time the boy spoke. He had just turned thirteen five months ago, the eldest of his two teammates. A mask covered his mouth and nose and beneath his jagged gray hair one could easily spot the irritation in his eyes, even though the rest of his body remained in complete calm.

"Every day I like to imagine it'll be _the_ day he actually shows up reasonably on time," she said somewhat hopefully.

"That's why you're foolish, Rin, because that kid will _never_ be on time."

He looked at the sun slowly moving toward the western sky.

"Well, I certainly have better things to do than to sit around and wait for him," he said as he stood up. The girl's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.

"Come on Kakashi-kun, wait just a little longer, I just know he'll show up soon."

Almost as if on cue, Uchiha Obito appeared from behind a corner, pelting towards them. Stopping short in front of his teammates, he leaned forward panting, his hands clutched to his thighs to stable himself. He had obviously run a great deal.

"Did you guys miss me?" he asked with a grin. Kakashi sighed in annoyance and Rin, who had risen to her feet as well, smacked Obito on the back of the head. "Ow! Hey, what was that for?!"

"You shouldn't have to ask by now, you twit!" Rin said.

"Oh, right, sorry," he said in a dawning realization, "I bumped into this man who, uh, needed help carrying a really heavy bag of cement so he could fix a hole in his roof and—Ow!" His head lurched forward once more from another of Rin's smacks.

"I'm sorry Obito," she said, apologizing for hitting him, "but I don't want to hear any of your lame excuses!"

"Hey! My birthday's tomorrow, don't I deserve a break from this abuse?"

"It's not tomorrow yet! And even so I—"

"Will you two just shut it?!" The two bickerers stopped their quarrel and looked at their teammate, who stood with his hands in his pockets and glared at them in agitation. "Let's just get this thing over with, the store's going to close soon." And with that he began heading down the dusty street, leaving the other two behind him.

"Wait! Kakashi-kun, wait up!" Rin yelled as she took off after him. Obito, grumbling under his breath and massaging the back of his head, slumped along behind them.

It didn't take long for the three of them to reach Kemuri's Tobacco and Smoking Accessory Shop.

"You sure we have permission to go in here? We are underage, after all…"

"Quit your worrying," Kakashi said in response to his black-haired teammate, as he pushed on the shop's front door.

"Besides," Rin produced a piece of paper from behind her forehead protector, "we have written permission from Sondaime-sama." She handed the paper to Obito, who read aloud.

"Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and…hey! Why is Kakashi's name first?"

Rin sighed and retrieved the paper from Obito. It seemed like the littlest things irritated him these days…

"Does it really matter? Don't take it personally," she added kindly as her comrade pouted, "it's probably just random, right Kakashi-kun?" The sound of a door being shut was the given response. Rin gave another sigh. "Come on, Obito, let's go inside."

When Rin pushed the door open she heard the sound of bells ringing. As Obito followed her inside she noticed three small bells attached with red ribbon to the door's inside knob. They were lovely little things, cast in bronze and about the size of a small bird's eggs.

"Hey! What're you kids doing in here?" an old man barked from behind a counter. On cue, Rin once again took out the neatly folded piece of paper and presented it to the man. He took it skeptically from her, never once taking his beady eyes off of hers. Their stare was finally broken when he focused his attention on the paper, holding it in front of him as though he were deciphering a code. He was a thin old man, with skin the color and consistency of leather. A few wisps of white hair ran along the temporal regions of his skull, but the top of his cranium was as bald as a river stone and dotted with liver spots. A bead of yellow snot hung from his left nostril but soon disappeared as he inhaled a loud and obnoxious snuff. His effort was in vain however; seconds later the mucous reappeared underneath his long hooked nose. Rin was reminded very much of a rat. "Hmmm, this is from the Hokage, eh?"

"Yes sir, he—"

"Alright then," he said, obviously unconcerned with what Rin was trying to say. He handed the paper back to her when he seemed satisfied the signature was not a fake. "Just hurry up, will you? It's bad for business to have kids in here."

The shop was small and less well-lit than it could have been. Its crimson red walls were lined with an assortment of pipes and cigarettes and although nothing was lit a faint cloud of smoke lingered in the room, making the air dense and opaque. Rin saw both of the boys searching the plethora of tobacco that was stacked in small decorative boxes along the back wall. She was about to join in the search when all of a sudden Kakashi picked up a box, studied it for a moment, and then approached the man behind the counter. Setting the box upon the ash-flecked counter top, he stared coolly at Old Man Kemuri and crossed his arms.

"We'll take this one," he said casually, but with an assertive tone in his voice. Kemuri placed the case of tobacco in the palm of his hand and examined it. It was a craftsman's masterpiece, no doubt. Cylindrical in shape, it was fashioned from a wood foreign to the forests around Konoha. A detailed ring of flowers had been chiseled around its girth and an intricate pattern of petals was painted above and below the carving. Kemuri's reflection looked back at him intently within the perfectly polished lid.

"Well," he said, placing the box tenderly upon the counter, "Lord Hokage sure has good taste, doesn't he?" His question was rhetorical; he expected no response and likewise did not receive one. "I hope you kids have enough money to pay for this little beauty…" Rin laid a handful of ryou on the table. The money had been given to her along with Sondaime's signature. Greedily, the man began to sift through the bills, revealing several gaps in between yellow teeth as a smile of gross satisfaction appeared on his face.

"That should cover it," Kakashi said to Kemuri, picking up the box and handing it to Rin, who cradled it carefully in her hands so as not to spill its contents. He and Obito turned to leave. Rin, on the other hand, bowed small and quickly to Kemuri before following her comrades. The shop owner, however, was so engrossed with his newly acquired money that he failed to notice. Back outside in the light, Rin inhaled a deep breath of fresh air.

"Well, that was easy enough," Obito said. He had removed his goggles and was in the process of squeezing solution into his eyes. Kakashi on the other hand was already walking in the direction of the large stone Hokage faces.

"Are you two coming, or what? Don't tell me Crybaby is being sentimental again," he said over his shoulder.

"The smoke irritated my eyes, you jerk!"

Rin placed a caring hand on Obito's shoulder; she knew better than anyone, except their Jounin-sensei, about his rivalry with Kakashi.

"It's not worth it," she said softly. "Let's get going, we're almost done. And sorry again about hitting you before," she added. She hated acting violently against her friends, but sometimes even she let her temper get the best of her.

"It's okay," Obito said, re-positioning his goggles and blinking several times. "I wonder what that thing is for, anyways." He motioned toward the article in Rin's hands. "I mean, it's obviously a smoking box, but if Sondaime-sama wanted us to get it for him especially…I just hope it isn't something lame."

Rin had a feeling the box was nothing special, but to humor Obito she said she was curious as well.

The walk to the Hokage's mansion was made in silence, with Kakashi leading the other two. When they finally reached the big office doors, after clearing the Jounin and Chuunin guards, Kakashi knocked forcefully.

"Enter," came a voice from within. The three followed the order.

The Hokage sat as usual puffing a pipe calmly behind his desk. Strangely though, no smoke was being exuded. Rin was the first to approach; she set the tobacco box lightly on the desk's surface. The Third pondered the object before him. He picked it up with his finger tips and placed it in his left palm. Lifting the lid with his right hand—the three Chuunin looking at him intently—he leaned his face down slightly and gently sniffed the contents of the box. Obviously pleased, he nodded with approval as he replaced the lidless box on the desk's surface.

"Well done, mission complete! And not a moment too soon, I've been out since around noon," he exclaimed, referring to his pipe's lack of contents. He took the pipe from his lips and immediately pinched a bit of the sweet smelling tobacco into the bowl of his recently empty pipe.

"Wait a minute," Obito interjected, "are you telling me that our _mission_ was to bring that to you so you could smoke it?!"

"Obito, be quiet!" Rin warned. The Hokage looked surprised.

"Of course! You didn't think there was something special to this did you?" he asked, referring to the box. "I just didn't have time to go out and get some new tobacco for myself, I'm very busy with paperwork, you see…" He chuckled at the look of utter irritation on Obito's face as well as the brisk movement of Kakashi's hand to his forehead, a wordless expression of his thought _I can't believe I'm on the same team as him_. The Hokage lit a match a placed it into the pipe's bowl, setting fire to the contents within. Inhaling deeply, he couldn't help but laugh to himself. _Why are they so serious these days?_ he asked himself. "I will of course pass on the news of your mission's success to your sensei."

"Hokage-sama," Rin asked, "where is Sensei? We haven't seen him in days and I—"

"It is natural for you to be curious, Rin, but you really should not worry about him. He is after all Konoha's Yellow Flash." It was obvious that she wasn't satisfied with this answer; she—and indeed both Obito and Kakashi—knew there was a more serious reason behind their sensei's absence. However, they also knew it was not their place to interrogate the Hokage. Sondaime exhaled his new smoke, highly pleased.

"Delicious," he said, more so to himself than to those standing before him. Then, remembering they were still present, he added, "You may go." The three bowed, Rin more courteously than the other two, and took their leave.

"Looks like another job well done, right you two?" Rin said cheerfully as the three exited the mansion.

"It was a complete waste of time," Kakashi said.

"Excuse us Mr. High-and-Mighty, but a ninja must follow a mission through to its end no matter what," Obito said mockingly. It was no secret that Kakashi prized the shinobi laws above all else and it was often one of his traits that frustrated Obito the most. _Even though it was totally lame_, he admitted in his head. Kakashi looked at him in annoyance.

"I shouldn't even be here with you two right now," he said with a smooth haughtiness. "The Jounin exams are coming up, I should be training. I'm a ninja, not a delivery boy."

"But Kakashi-kun, Sensei isn't even here to train you," Rin said truthfully. The three of them had descended the stairs and had begun walking back into the more populated sector of the village.

"I'm more than capable of training alone."

"At least let Obito and me come with you," she persisted.

"I know better than anyone else what it is I need to focus on. Don't worry about it."

"Get over yourself!" Obito spat angrily. "Why is it you think you're so much better than everyone else?!"

"I don't," Kakashi responded simply, "I just think I'm better than you." Obito fumed at his words. "As a matter of fact, I _know_ I'm better than you."

Obito lost it. He grabbed a kunai from his leg-holster and lunged at Kakashi.

"Obito! Stop!" Rin yelled nervously.

Of course he didn't respect her wish. He jabbed the blade at his opponent's face but instantly felt it stop midway. Kakashi clutched Obito's wrist and delivered him a hard blow to the stomach with his knee. Obito toppled over backward but immediately sprang back onto his feet and charged again. Kakashi easily dodged the attack, grabbing Obito's kunai in the process, and kicked Obito on the backside, sending him crashing into the dirt on his face.

"Stop it! Both of you, cut it out! We're on the same team, for goodness sake!"

"You know what, Rin? You're right, we should stop, I'll just end up hurting the poor baby," Kakashi said sarcastically. Not only was the fight was a pointless waste of energy but Rin was getting upset and there was no reason for him to upset her. Plus, beating on Obito wasn't delivering him as much pleasure as it usually did. He dropped Obito's kunai as carelessly as if it had been a piece of trash. Leaping onto the tiled roof of a nearby building, he took in the pathetic sight below him: Obito face down in the dirt and Rin quivering beside him. _And these are my teammates…_the thought caused a sigh to escape his cloth covered lips. He assumed a seated position, his legs dangling over the building's crude tin drainpipe. Obito raised himself once again to his feet and spat dirt from his mouth onto the ground.

"Giving up so easily, are you?"

"Ha! Please!" Kakashi laughed arrogantly. "I can't spend all my time 'playing' with you, Obito. Like I said, I have more important things to do. See ya."

Obito curled his fists in fury as Kakashi's body dissipated into thin air. Rin approached her friend as he shook with rage and began to dust off the remnants of dirt from his front.

"Obito," she said steadily, "you know he has a lot on his mind, what with the Jounin exams coming up and all." Obito backed away from her in irritation.

"Stop making excuses for him! He's an ass, that's all there is to it." Shoving his hands into his pockets, Obito turned away from her and started walking home. "See you later, Rin."

As he rounded a corner and disappeared from view Rin let out a heavy sigh. Her eyes began to burn as she restrained hot tears from running down her face. _Why are they like that?_ she asked herself. _Why are they always like that?_ As the sun lowered in the west Rin let a few tears slide down her cheeks and fall silently to the ground.

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There's chapter two! Hope the story's enjoyable so far, even though it is just beginning :)


	3. The Aftermath

The day was coming to a close as the sun set slowly on the western horizon, long shadows cast across the land. Under the cover of the forest, however, it had been dark for a few hours. Tsurara was bent over her sister and holding a kunai to her throat. Ume's arms and legs were pinned to the forest floor with several shuriken and she was caked with dirt and bruises. Her body felt as though it were on fire. Every intake of breath sent a sharp pain through her chest and her muscles seemed to be screaming at her. A stream of blood flowed from a fairly large cut above her left knee, visible through the torn mesh leggings. _Her aim is perfect_, she said to herself.

Tsurara panted as sweat beaded at her furrowed brow and occasionally seeped under her forehead protector and trickled down her face. Other than a small laceration on her bare right shoulder she was largely unscathed.

After what seemed like an eternity to Ume, Tsurara straightened her back and flung the kunai carelessly behind her. Even so, it managed to land bulls-eye on a target. Placing one hand on her hip and wiping the sweat from her face with the other naked forearm, she began to laugh incessantly. Ume, in her present state, was less amused.

"I warned you not to take me on, didn't I, little Ume-chan?"

Ume said nothing. It was true, she had been rash in challenging her sister; the adrenaline of the day's events seemed to have clouded her rationality.

Tsurara, still laughing, bent her knees and squatted by her sister, her elbows resting on her thighs.

"It was fun though, you've got to admit that!" Fun. Not exactly the word Ume would have chosen to describe the situation. Exhilarating, that was a better way of explaining it.

Tsurara eased her laughter and for that Ume was grateful; it was no secret that Tsurara was the better fighter, she had always been. Nonetheless, Ume couldn't help but feel humiliated. After all, it had been she who initiated the fight, and for her to end up like this…well, it was like a slap to the face on a much larger scale.

At the sound of clinking metal and the feeling of swift movement around her limbs, Ume raised her head with difficulty. Tsurara was nonchalantly kicking the shuriken away, thus freeing her sister from her grounded position.

When the last shuriken had been discarded Ume rose painfully to her feet and wiped her face with her sleeve. Every time she moved her eyes bright spots would appear in her line of vision. Her whole body ached and the pained expression on her face gave away the secret of her internal misery.

Tsurara took pity on her sister. Maybe she had been too hard on her…

"You're not going to make me pick all these up by myself, are you, Ume-chan?" Tsurara asked sweetly as she delicately put her arm around Ume's shoulders. When Ume winced in pain Tsurara quickly removed her arm and refrained from touching her sister further. Ume looked around at the weapons scattered across the forest floor, those that her sister was referring to and that they had made use of during their battle.

"Of course not, Nee-chan," she replied, although she was unsure if she would be able to bend over. However, the last thing she wanted was for Tsurara to feel bad for her, or guilty that she had fought her. She quickly wrapped her knee with some medical tape she kept alongside her weapons in the holster at all times despite the pain it caused her to arch her back. When she had finished she looked up at Tsurara, who had done nothing more than acknowledge that she herself was injured and was nonchalantly retrieving weapons. Other than a brief glance at the cut and a shrug of her shoulders Tsurara seemed largely unaffected by her wound, even though a droplet of blood began to run down her back.

Ume walked as composed as she could up to a tree and tugged on a kunai that was stuck in its bark. Fortunately, it wasn't embedded deeply. She freed it quite easily and placed it in the empty holster taped to her leg.

-------------------------

It was somewhat strange the way it happened, the battle that is. Everything had been going smoothly during their sisterly bonding target practice. Tsurara would effortlessly release weapons from her hands as she flipped through the air. Every time without fail each would hit a target and ninety-five percent of the time they were dead center. Ume did well in her own right. She kept up with her sister and managed to hit a good number of targets although her number of bulls eyes was fewer.

And then it happened. Out of nowhere a voice rang out.

"Oi, Tsurara! I want you to fight me right here and now!" Filled to the bursting point with adrenaline and her vision clouded by excitement, Ume was not at once aware that the voice was hers. In fact, as soon as she came to that realization she found herself in a state of disbelief. Before today she never would've expected those words to escape her mouth. But training with Tsurara had motivated her in a way she didn't completely understand. Perhaps it was the determination to prove herself. Whatever the case, the usual calm, shy, soft-spoken Ume seemed to disengage from her physical body.

Tsurara landed firmly on the underside of a large branch, hanging upside down, her feet stuck by means of her pulsing chakra. A pair of quizzical eyes stared at Ume.

"You sure about this, Imouto-chan?" She was caught off guard by her sister's request, yet she was impressed with Ume's brazenness and apparent confidence.

Ume nodded. She hadn't had a direct fight with her sister in years, for such was the gentleness of her nature that she couldn't bring herself to cause conflict in their family. It was now or never, she decided. Pulling a shuriken from the pouch on her belt, she sent it flying in Tsurara's direction. The blade whizzed through the air catching light from the sun and refracting it about the forest. The next few seconds seemed to occur in slow motion; Tsurara saw the weapon coming at her and motioned to get out of the way. However, for reasons she could not explain the weapon struck her shoulder.

Ume's mouth hung open and her eyes widened in astonishment; she hadn't actually expected to hit her sister. Just as suddenly, Tsurara's form became a cloud of smoke and in her place a log appeared. Ume's eyes grew wider as the log dropped to the forest floor below.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed." Tsurara appeared directly behind her sister, her hands on her hips. Ume turned in surprise. "Who would've guessed little Ume-chan had grown so bold?"

"Nee-chan, are you going to fight me or not?" Ume spoke trying to sound determined but there was still a shakiness to her voice that she could not mask. Tsurara laughed in disbelief.

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" Once again, Ume nodded firmly. Tsurara had no choice but to concede; besides, a real fight was better than target practice any day!

"Tsurara-chan, don't hold back for my sake. I don't want you to go easy on me."

"Alright then," Tsurara said as she swept a few rogue white hairs from her face, "but I hope you're ready…"

Ume lunged forward as she felt a prick on her back delivered from one of her sister's kunai. She performed a few unceremonious hand-springs but landed steadfastly on her feet a good six meters from her sister. Her arms were stretched out perpendicular to her body for balance and yet her eyes were glued to Tsurara. Not once did she blink.

Tsurara thought she detected a ferocity in those eyes that she had never noticed before; their usual honey warmth and softness seemed to have been replaced with a burning fire.

Standing with kunai in hand Tsurara couldn't shake the feeling that Ume had undergone a drastic change in a very short time. She wasn't worried about losing; hell, that was a guaranteed impossible outcome, even the more reserved part of her personality had to acknowledge that. But, it was true that Tsurara really didn't know what her sister was capable of anymore. She had, like most every other audience member at the Chuunin exams, been astonished at the ease with which Ume had won her match. Granted, her opponent was not the strongest or most intimidating of the participants; but still, the shy, sweet little girl of Konoha suddenly no longer seemed as innocent as she once was.

Tsurara couldn't even remember how long it had been since she had seen the fruit of her sister's training. Because of their difference in status they were rarely sent on missions together and as a Chuunin Tsurara was often away for extended periods of time. When they did interact, however, it was never to fight one another. Tsurara was actually ashamed to admit how little she knew about her twin. But as the two stood facing one another there was a tension and an awkward feeling of unease hovering over them. Indeed, it seemed as if they were the only beings in the forest, for nothing made a sound. Or perhaps the two had simply gone temporarily deaf because they were focused only on each other.

And then, Ume charged, forming seals quickly with her hands. In the brief moment before she responded to Ume's ninjutsu, Tsurara allowed herself a small grin. _So, she really wants to do this_, she thought. _Alright then, I won't hold back, I think she'd only be angry with me if I did. _She disappeared into thin air just as Ume finished her seals.

---------------------------

"I must say, Ume-chan," Tsurara said as she picked up the last shuriken from the ground, "I'm surprised with how well you handled yourself. You really have improved." Ume blushed at the compliment but didn't know what to say in return. Tsurara correctly interpreted her twin's silence as humble, yet deep, gratitude. The fight had not been particularly difficult for Tsurara, and she had won easily, just not to the extent that she had expected. At a few intervals during the fight she had even caught herself staving off Ume's attacks while she was accidentally yawning—which just made Ume more determined to fight stronger. She was happy for Ume, she really was; she was just not used to her little sister ever putting up much of a fight.

Tsurara suddenly yawned again. She didn't feel particularly tired, yet once again a dramatic exhale of breath escaped through her lips.

Tsurara looked up at the leafy mass above her and frowned slightly.

"Huh, that's weird…" she said, referring to her yawns.

"What is it, Nee-chan?" Ume asked.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing, I'm just a little beat, that's all," Tsurara lied, revealing her naval as she stretched her arms backwards above her head. When Ume looked convinced Tsurara dropped her arms and tugged at the lower seam of her mesh top, making sure her skin was covered.

"You know what? I really don't feel like retracing all our steps to find the rest of the weapons," Tsurara said. The idea of recollecting all of those shuriken and kunai seemed like an incredibly boring prospect…

"But Tsurara-chan—"

"Don't worry about it," Tsurara said, replacing her frown with a smile. "It's not like the village doesn't have enough as it is. We can request more tomorrow. You do still have the Academy's kunai though, don't you?"

Ume affirmatively patted her pouch.

"Perfect! Then we don't have anything to worry about!"

"I suppose you're right…"

"Come on, let's head back to the village, Imouto-chan. I've had enough for one day." Ume nodded in agreement.

The truth of the matter was Tsurara could've continued training for a long time thereafter. But she knew Ume was tired and in all honesty Tsurara had a strange desire to spend time with her sister.

Their walk back to the village was particularly peaceful. Birds were beginning to slow in their singing and the buzz of insects was gradually becoming a lazy hum. Tsurara offered her arm to support Ume on their walk back, but the younger refused. She would encounter much worse situations now that she was a Chuunin, she had to start hardening herself. As they traipsed steadily along the dirt path they spoke of their respective Chuunin exams. Tsurara, of course, complained that hers had been too easy.

"There I was, right behind him and he didn't even know I was there. I thought at first it was a clone, but when he didn't disappear after I stabbed him in the back…I have to admit, I felt pretty guilty while he just laid there bleeding on the ground in front of me…Good thing the guy didn't die, but I mean even if he did, it would've been his own fault, am I right?"

When they reached the town gates they waved to the two shinobi guards.

"Oi! You guys look bored, don't you?" Tsurara said in passing.

"And you two look like you've had quite an afternoon," one of the guards remarked. Tsurara shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh, you know, just some good old-fashioned sister-sister bonding," Tsurara responded with an overly dramatic grin. Both guards raised an eyebrow as they looked the girls up and down. Although the bleeding from Ume's leg had subsided it had still bled through and left quite a stain on the white bandages.

"Uh-huh…" The guards were unconvinced.

"So, what's new?" Tsurara asked, not in the mood to discuss the situation further. Normally, if her opponent had been anyone else, she would've begun bragging instantly about her victory. However, for Ume's sake she held off.

"You know how it is nowadays," the one who had greeted them first, a Chuunin in his late teens, said back, "no one interesting comes to the village anymore."

"All we need is a war or something to keep us busy, right?" Tsurara said in good-humored sarcasm.

"You know what I mean…"

"Well I know one thing, if war did break out I'd be there on the front lines," the other Chuunin guard, a friend of Tsurara's and at one point a mission teammate, said.

"Why does that not surprise me, Jiro-kun?" the elder twin said. The guard shrugged his brawny shoulders as the others laughed. On that note the twins waved good-bye and walked deeper into the village.

Despite the day's declining hour Konoha was still alive with activity. The boys that had been playing in front of the Hokage mansion earlier that day had expanded their game of Onigoko to incorporate the entire village as their playing ground and the majority of Konoha's young as the players.

"Hey, watch it!" Tsurara exclaimed as she and Ume jumped out the way of a running pack of boys and girls. "I like them so much better when they're sitting quietly and listening to me describe different shuriken models…"

"Kids will be kids," Ume said plainly. "We were like that too, remember?"

"I guess so. Still, I'm glad we've grown out of silly games like that."

They turned a corner onto a wide avenue lined with shops on either side. Colorful awnings bordered the shops and bright banners hung languidly from light posts. It wasn't their usual route home, but every once in a while they liked to walk down it and indulge themselves in window-shopping. At one store Ume pointed out a beautiful plum-colored kimono patterned with intricate silver waves from it's bottom seem extending to the kimono's soft pink obi.

"Oh, Nee-chan, isn't it beautiful?" Ume said, eyes aglow.

As they stood captivated by the gorgeous cloth Tsurara heard voices coming from further down the street. She and Ume noticed a crowd gathering in front of a particular shop and decided to see what was going on. Soon the two had joined the crowd of people, mostly shinobi, gathered in front of a large window. The display inside featured a pair of brass-knuckles lying on a dark blue velvet cushion trimmed with gold. A Chuunin not much older than the twins stood with his face and palms pressed against the glass; a look of utter longing was in his eyes.

"Asuma-kun, if you keep staring like that you're going to burn a whole through the glass."

"Well said, Kurenai-chan!" another voice said. "Come on, let some of us get a closer look, Asuma!"

"They're…so…beautiful…" Asuma drooled. The fourteen-year-old was completely oblivious to those around him.

"Dammit," Tsurara muttered. "I wish I could get a better look!" She would rather look at weapons over kimonos any day.

Ume on the other hand was not so interested. She used weapons because it was required of her as a ninja, but she failed to find anything extremely exciting about them.

"Nee-chan," she said, "I'll meet you back at home. I'm going to return the Academy kunai. And please don't tell Kaa-san about the news, I want to tell her myself." By the news she meant of course her appointment as a Chuunin.

"Sure thing." Tsurara had begun pushing her way through the crowd to further investigate the contents of the window. As she squeezed past several bodies she unconcernedly left smears of the blood that was drying from her shoulder on their clothing. They would notice later, when they removed their clothes to place in a basket for washing.

As the chaos faded behind her, Ume took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Her body was still not fully recovered from her fight with Tsurara and neither was her mind. Becoming a Chuunin had gained her Tsurara's respect but even so Ume felt inferior. And to make matters worse the fight had reinforced rather than swayed that feeling of mediocrity. Raising her right hand to her mouth Ume nursed a cut between her thumb and index finger. Why was her sister so much more advanced than she? If the two were physically identical why then were their fighting skills unequal? Ume was no doubt a talented ninja, but she had had to strive so hard whereas everything seemed to come so naturally to Tsurara, who had always outshone her. And needless to say, she was jealous. What sibling wouldn't be?

Ume was ashamed at herself for thinking this way. Tsurara cared deeply for her and Ume felt likewise about her sister. She just couldn't help but think that it was all so unfair…

Completely caught up in her own thoughts, Ume failed to notice another person walking right towards her. Unfortunately, this person was not paying attention either. Their bodies collided, although not so seriously as to knock either one over, and the next thing Ume realized was that she had collided with Uchiha Obito.

"O—Obito-kun!" She was shocked. Her face began to flush.

"Oh, hey Tsurara-chan." The normally rambunctious boy reacted rather lacklusterly. Ume's blush turned bright red, not from being wrongly addressed but just from being addressed by him at all. Of course, she couldn't bring herself to correct his mistake. If the twins weren't identical enough before, the change in placement of Ume's forehead protector was sure to cause for even more frequent mix-ups. "Sorry about running into you like that."

"It's—it's okay," she stammered. "It was my fault, I should've been watching where I was going." An awkward silence elapsed. Obito was still inwardly fuming about his fight with Kakashi. He didn't mean to act off-putting; he just wasn't really in the mood to speak with anybody. But of course, Ume was not aware of that and at that moment she really didn't care. All she was aware of was standing face to face with the boy she'd had a crush on for years. A soft breeze whistled past them, carrying the faint scent of blooming flowers along with it.

Her mind was racing with possible things to say: how nice the weather was, the fact that she was a Chuunin now—no, that would be too presumptuous—, the fact that his birthday was tomorrow, how she really felt, how she'd always felt about him…So many options and yet her lips could not form a single consonant or vowel.

"Well, see you later then," Obito finally said. He continued on past her.

"See you later, Obito-kun," she finally managed to say when he was out of earshot. She continued her walk. She was still blushing slightly when she reached the Academy, her spirits raised greatly.


	4. The Afternoon Winding Down

"Move over, I wanna see these knuckles for myself," Tsurara said in irritation as she pushed and shoved her way through the crowd. This was ridiculous, what could possibly be so special about these brass knuckles that made everyone fuss like this? Asuma she could understand. He was always drooling over the lastest weapons. She eventually managed to snake her way up to the window and positioned herself right next to Asuma.

"Oi, you're in my space," he said to her.

"You've been hogging the window for who knows how long," she responded, pressing her face to the glass, "give me two seconds to see what the big deal is." The shiney metallic weapons gleamed seductively at her from their cushy velour surface. A plaque propped in front of them read "A New Design for a New Year! Lightweight yet incredibly strong! The Latest Model from the Takumi Village!"

"A new design for a new year, eh?" Tsurara read with some disappointment. "They don't look that special to me."

Asuma looked at her in horror.

"How dare you say such a thing?!"

"Oh come on, Asuma, they don't look any different than that village's last model, unless you count the engravings on them." Tsurara had to lean closer to actually read what was written on the weapons. When she deciphered what they said she even let out a groan. The kanji "strength" and "power" were carved into the knuckles meant for the bearer's right hand whereas "determination" and "will" had been etched into that of the left. _How cliché_, she thought. "Even you have to admit that that's lame!"

"What are you talking about?" Asuma was getting irritated now. His dark eyes stared menacingly into Tsurara's. "Those words represent important qualities for a shinobi!"

Tsurara could see there was no use in arguing. She knew Asuma well-enough from the few missions they had carried out together to know that his love of weaponry surpassed even her own.

"Hey, you kids! How 'bout letting the rest of us have a look?!" The crowd was becoming more hostile.

"You don't have to ask me twice," Tsurara said. "Honestly, I'm disappointed," she said to Asuma. "I can't believe you of all people would buy into this sort of thing." Actually, she didn't really understand why she said that. Asuma certainly was a person who would go goo-goo eyed over something like this.

"Whatever, I just wanna get my hands on them…" Asuma flexed his fingers anxiously while Tsurara rolled her eyes.

"I'll leave you to ogle in peace, then," she said sarcastically as she patted Asuma patronizingly on the shoulder, stealing a glimpse of a rectangular impression in his back pocket. She knew very well that he kept a cigarette pack hidden there.

Residents of Konoha were restricted access to cigarettes if they were under the age of twenty. However, at fourteen Asuma had decided to take up the habit, albeit with subterfuge, for reasons that were his own. Tsurara thought she remembered speaking with Kurenai about a certain attractive Jounin who was always seen with a cigarette between his lips. After Kurenai admitted the innocent crush she had on Taiki-san and began to giggle, Tsurara could've sworn she saw a flash of very tanned skin and dark hair disappear from the rooftops as they walked through the village. Very soon afterwards Asuma had started to keep a pack of cigarettes on his person at all times (although he only brought it out when he was sure he wouldn't get in trouble, in case someone should see a minor with contraband. Not that cigarettes were difficult for him to come by; Asuma's family was full of notorious smokers). Tsurara wasn't even sure he actually smoked them yet, but in all honesty she really didn't care whether or not he did; she had a feeling he was just trying to impress Kurenai. "Don't have too much fun, you hear?" she said as a sarcastic farewell to the boy against the glass.

Apparently Asuma did not hear her or he just chose not to comment. His eyes still stared, wide as ever, at the brass knuckles and his mouth had regained its hanging, gaping expression. There was no way he was going to move for anyone.

Tsurara sighed in exasperation as she pushed her way once again through the crowd, this time looking for an exit. As soon as she had vacated her spot by the window another curious onlooker slipped into its place. After stepping on several pairs of feet—she could've avoided them if she had wanted to but she felt a grim satisfaction in delivering punishment to those admiring what she thought was extremely stupid—and sucking in her stomach to make her already slender under-developed frame even smaller, she managed to squeeze between a pair of rather rotund men and reappear, gulping for fresh air, on the outside of the human mass.

"Are they all blind?" she mumbled in frustration as she left the crowd behind her. "Or do they really not notice that those things are an exact replication of the earlier model?" She kicked a small rock out of her way. "Maybe there really was a difference and I just didn't bother to find out more about them…No!" she said suddenly. "If there was any difference at all, whether weight or strength or whatever, _I_ would've been able to tell, no question." She folded her arms angrily into across her chest. She hated when she second-guessed herself, especially since she had frequently taken up the habit several months ago when Konoha was brightly bathed in summer's sunshine.

As she walked along in the direction of her family's apartment building she let out a yawn. This gesture coupled with her present scowl caused to face to become contorted in a strange and unattractive fashion. Had her eyes been open, which they never were when she yawned, she would have noticed more than one upturned eyebrow directed at her. She had not taken the liberty to cover her mouth, a rude action that normally she would have avoided—her parents had raised her with better manners. However, her hands felt comfortable wedged against her body and she could not be bothered to move one simply on the grounds of good manners. At that moment she was not feeling particularly receptive to what others thought about her. She was still too caught up in the absurdity of the event in front of the weapons store.

"Maybe I'm letting this whole situation get to me more than I should," she said aloud to herself after she had cooled down somewhat.

_Maybe those knuckles aren't the real reason you're getting upset_, a voice inside her head mused. _Maybe you're worried about something else…_

"What? That's stupid, what do I have to be upset about?" she asked herself, again aloud. Although even she knew the question was stupid. Tsurara had been planning on taking (and passing) the Jounin exams this year ever since her sensei had suggested it a year ago.

Now, the time had finally come. The exams were scheduled to take place in late May and it was already February and Tsurara knew she had been slacking when it came to preparation. She was not officially registered yet, her sensei had to suggest her as a candidate, but she knew it was only a matter of time until she was notified.

It was true that she felt confident in her abilities. But no matter how hard she tried she could not ignore the slight pang of anxiety that appeared in her gut every time she thought about the exams and it seemed to become more prominent as the days passed by.

In the midst of her musings her feet had led her in front of a fair sized garden that belonged to a house neighboring her apartment building. Even staring from the outside anyone could see that it was a lovely undertaking; the woman of the house was an avid gardener and invested much of her time with her plants. Tsurara had never found much interest in that sort of thing, it was really more of a hobby for Ume, who loved nature and had recently found an interest in botany.

The caretaker's tabby cat sat at the start of the garden's stone path, eyeing Tsurara curiously. Tsurara wrinkled her nose in a frown. She wasn't much of a cat fan; they seemed so cocky to her. It was as though they thought themselves superior beings and expected to be treated as such. In fact, Tsurara did not really care for animals in general, another trait that made her different from her twin.

But that cat knew Tsurara, it had watched her pass in front of the garden for years now. So why was it staring at her so strangely?

"I must say, even among this admirable foliage you are a vision of youthful beauty," a voice said behind her.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me…" she said with a groan. Slowly, painfully, she turned her head.

A lanky green clad boy sporting a bowl-cut stood behind her with a toothy grin on his face. The cat perked when he spoke: apparently it had never seen anything quite like him before. _I guess that explains why it was so confused_, Tsurara thought with some amusement. Every person who met Maito Gai reacted strangely and now she concluded that animals were no different. Then again, it was hardly a surprise, given his strange sense (or lack thereof) of fashion and mannerisms.

"Gai," she sighed, attempting not to get angry, "what are you doing here?"

"Why, Rara-chan I was just jogging through the area on my hands—a great new upper body workout I've recently discovered—when I spotted you standing here, the loveliest of all the flowers!" He wiggled a bushy eyebrow as he spoke. Tsurara slapped a hand to her forehead in disbelieving irritation. Should she have examined his calloused and gritty palms she would have known that he was actually telling the truth; however, she assumed as always that he had been stalking her. It did after all seem to be one of his favorite activities, next to coming up with ridiculous health regiments.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" she asked sharply as Gai moved closer to her until his face was inches from hers.

"At least one more, Rara-chan," he purred. "Now how about taking an energetic stroll around the village with me?" Tsurara was not amused. She shoved her palm in his face and pushed him back in disgust, her temper flaring.

"No means no!" she yelled as Gai gracefully recovered from his backward stumble. "Honestly I have no idea why you think I'd be interested in you now when I haven't been for the past the year!" This was an exaggeration; Gai had only started courting her about a month ago. However the amount of persistence with which he pursued her made it feel as though it had been an eternity. Gai flashed a sparkly grin.

"I've figured out how you women tick, Rara-chan," he said with apparently a great deal of satisfaction. "You push your pursuers away because it is part of your coy plot to drive us mad with desire! While I must admit I am burning with passion I can safely say that I still have my sanity, so you see your little trick isn't working!"

_No, you're definitely insane_, Tsurara said matter-of-factly to herself. She couldn't believe what he was saying. A coy plot? _Where does he come up with this stuff? _

"How my sister puts up with having you on her team I'll never know. We look exactly the same, why don't you harass her instead?" Although she spoke the words, Tsurara would've have killed her sister if she ever found out Ume agreed to go out with Gai.

It wasn't that he was a bad guy he was just…weird. And annoying. Tsurara had no patience with him, let alone relationships in general. They were meaningless to her, not to mention she was too busy as it was being a shinobi. She had been fed up with Gai ever since the first time he tried to set up a date.

Gai straightened the red forehead protector around his thin waist before lowering onto one knee and clasping his hands in front of his heart. Staring up into her eyes, he spoke.

"But it is for thee that my heart pines!"

Tsurara felt as though she were going to vomit.

"Gai, if you've been after me this long you should know by now that I don't buy into that garbage." She hated all that romantic junk, it was so pathetic.

"Rara-chan, I know that you guise your true feelings behind that hard and crusty face but…"

"I swear, if you call me that one more time I'll…wait a minute, did you call my face crusty?!"

The poor kid just didn't have a handle on his metaphors yet. Besides that, he thought from her statement that Tsurara was expecting advice. After all, the lack of attention she paid to her appearance did cause her face to be marginally flawed.

"I'm sure with a good moisturizer it can become as smooth as mine!" Gai gave her a thumb's up from his kneeling position.

Tsurara flushed as she put a hand to her face, a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

"For your information there's nothing wrong with my skin! Now go away before I decide to beat you up!" Her fingers twitched dangerously next to her weapons holster. Gai jumped onto his feet excitedly.

"Ah, a lovers' quarrel! Alright, if I must prove myself by fighting you once again, so be it!"

"You say that every time and every time you think you've proven yourself and I still tell you to go away! Don't you see any thing wrong?"

"Only that you're not in my arms at this very moment!"

Tsurara really didn't know why she thought he would take that as a hint. He seemed to hear only what he wanted to.

"What do I have to do to get the point across?! I—DON'T—LIKE—YOU!" She was screaming now. The cat hissed at her and ran into its house, whose door was now open. In the light an old woman peered out at the two young ninja.

"What's the meaning of scaring my cat? Quit causing all this ruckus in front of my house!"

_Damn, I'm ready to finally kill this kid once and for all..._

"I'm afraid we must comply, Rara-chan," Gai said with disappointment, receeding from his fighting stance. "I cannot fight—not even for our love—knowing that we're disturbing the caretaker of this noble garden. Let us take our dispute elsewhere!"

"You can fight wherever you want, _I'm_ going home. And no I don't need an escort!" she added forcefully when she saw that he was about to speak. She pushed passed him forcefully, secretly sorry she could not thank the old woman for saving her.

"Continuing our game of cat and mouse, I see? Alright then, until next time my frisky little kitten, we will—" He was interrupted by a shuriken whizzing past his face.

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_I hate cats!_ Tsurara basically shouted in her head. _And I hate him! _She stormed up the stairs to her apartment. Her holster was now short another weapon but it was worth it. Anything to shut him up. And yet that's all it would do; he would continue to fawn on her like a puppy unless she thought of something drastic. A fight to the death, maybe that literally was the solution…

She was still fuming when she reached the fifth floor landing and proceeded down the corridor to door number 510. She opened it forcefully and tried her best not to slam it behind her. Removing her sandals, she stepped onto the slightly elevated wooden floor with a scowl on her face. All she wanted was to lie down and forget about how annoying her day had become. It had started out so well too...

"Hello, Tsurara," said a sweet voice, "had a rough day, did you?"

"Good evening, Kaa-san," Tsurara replied in a voice that was somewhat strained. She really didn't feel like talking to her mother. She continued past the kitchen, where the voice was coming from. "No, it was fine."

"I can always tell when you're lying." Tsurara's mother stepped through the doorway holding a large wooden bowl in one arm and a wooden spoon in her free hand. Apparantly dinner wasn't ready yet, but Tsurara didn't mind. She still felt too nauseous from her encounter with Gai to be hungry.

"Really, Kaa-san, it's nothing, I'm just tired."

Her mother raised an eyebrow.

"You? Tired? When have you ever given that excuse before?"

"There's a first time for everything," Tsurara replied plainly. Her mother did not look convinced. Her light brown eyes seemed to pore into her daughter's very soul. She scratched the back of her neck with the base of the spoon in her hand, upsetting the violet locks that always fell so straight and sleek down her back. Tsurara shifted her gaze from her mother's eyes onto the Konoha leaf engraved into the metal plate above her mother's furrowed brows. How was she so good at making her feel guilty?

Kazokugisou Shirenu was a village Jounin in her mid-thirties who was renowned for her skills at espionage. She was often relied upon for missions dealing with diplomats or representatives from other countries or villages who were believed to have secret agendas. It was in this way that she conducted what she called "up close and personal" spying. She had even been a member of ANBU at one point, but withdrew when she had the twins. Not to mention she was still considered one of the Hidden Leaf Village's most beautiful women.

"If you say so..."

If Tsurara didn't want to talk Shirenu was not going to pressure her to. Her daughter had never been one to willingly share her feelings so she was not surprised by Tsurara's present reluctance. However, it was obvious from the cut on her shoulder that she had been fighting and that something was bothering her. Shirenu returned to her preparations in the kitchen. _Tsurara is more than capable of handling herself_, she had to remind herself.

Tsurara continued down a rather narrow hallway until she reached her and Ume's bedroom door. She flopped down on her futon without bothering to remove her weapons holster or undo the bandages that covered her legs from ankle to thigh. Propping her head on her arms, she began to think of the cruelties she could inflict on Gai. Outright fighting never worked, she had resorted to that too often because of her temper and Gai actually seemed to like it. What if he saw her with another guy? Maybe that would dissuade him...The only problem was Tsurara wasn't interested in boys as anything but friends, but surely it shouldn't be too hard to find one to play along for a while?

Her mind raced with possibilities even after she heard Ume come home and her parents cover the new Chuunin with their congratulations.

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There's chapter 4 up and ready! And yes, if you thought you noticed a Pirates of the Caribbean reference you are correct!

"At least once more, Miss Swan..." lol, I love that movie!


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